le of cleaning and cooking, yet they took them along.

"Geese, eh?" exclaimed Captain Zoss, as they entered camp. "Wall, that's
not so bad! We kin have a goose pot-pie o' one, and stuff the other with
bread an' beans, eh?" All hands agreed this would be an excellent plan,
and the boys set about cleaning the game without delay, the captain
assisting them at the work.

Toward night they espied a band of Indians coming down the trail with
their packs and followed by half a dozen miners, a hardy but not an
evil-looking crowd. The miners had left Dyea twenty-four hours later
than themselves and had brought with them the material for a
flat-bottomed scow, fifteen feet long and four feet wide. The Indians
had carried this material over the Pass, but how it had been
accomplished was a mystery to the boys and the others.

"Hang me, if I don't reckon they have a secret way o' their own," was
Captain Zoss's comment. "They couldn't cart them boards up that steep
cliff, nohow!" And Randy and Earl were half inclined to believe the
captain's suspicions to be true.

The miners, who went by the name of the Idaho crowd, because they came
from that State, encamped next to the doctor's crowd, as they were
speedily termed, on account of having a medical man with them, and all
became well acquainted before night. The Idaho crowd had just heard of
an extra large find being made on Gold Bottom Creek, which flowed into
the Klondike River, and they were anxious to get up there without delay,
and consequently spent half the night in putting their boat together for
an early start on the following morning.

"You're the fust boys I've heerd tell on bound for the gold diggin's,"
said one of the men to Randy and Earl. "I'm afeard ye'll find it kinder
tough luck, for as far ez I kin understand it is tough even on a man.
Whar are ye from? Californy?"

"No, from the backwoods of Maine," answered Earl. "And we are used to
roughing it."

"Gee shoo! Didn't know the news had struck out so all-fired far ez thet.
Wall, if you're from the backwoods, 'tain't likely you'll suffer ez much
ez some of the tenderfoots wot's older. Wish ye the best o' luck." And
the man turned away to his boat-building again.

Eight o'clock of the following morning found the Idaho crowd on its way
down Lake Linderman. In the meantime the boys, Foster Portney, and
Captain Zoss had started into the timber with their tools, leaving Dr.
Barwaithe to watch camp and bake several da